Tag: March 27

2018 – Playing for the first time in the old stomping grounds his father, newly-minted Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, at Stade Olympique in his birth city of Montréal, QC, top Blue Jays prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. begins to build his own legend. He ends an exhibition game against the Cardinals by hitting a walk-off homer off Jack Flaherty with two outs in the 9th, breaking a scoreless tie, much to the delight of the 25,800 spectators present.

2017 – The announcement that the Oakland Raiders are moving to Las Vegas, NV puts an end to the last ballpark-sharing arrangement between a Major League Baseball team and an NFL franchise. The Oakland Athletics will now be the sole tenant at the O.co Coliseum, a situation that may make it easier to resolve the ballpark issues that have plagued the franchise for decades.

2016 – In the second of two games played in Mexico City, the Padres take advantage of favorable hitting conditions at Fray Nano Stadium and explode for 5 homers and 21 runs in defeating the Astros, 21 – 6. Jabari Blash, Adam Rosales and Jon Jay all go deep off Astros starter Brady Rodgers in the 1st. The Padres also score 8 runs in the 7th, with Casey McElroy supplying a two-run blast, to seal the landslide win. For his part, Rodgers gives up 8 runs in only two-thirds of an inning and reliever Brendan McCurry is also lit up for 8 runs.

2013 – The Yankees place starting pitcher Phil Hughes on a crowded disabled list, where he joins teammates Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, all of whom will miss Opening Day.

2012 – The group led by former NBA star Magic Johnson and executive Stan Kasten emerges as the winner of the bidding process to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt under supervision of a bankruptcy court judge. The winning bid is estimated at $2 billion, the highest amount ever paid for a North American professional sports franchise; an additional payment of $150 million will secure the land around Dodger Stadium that McCourt originally wanted to keep for himself. The huge prize tag will allow McCourt to make hundreds of millions in profit, even after paying back the loans he took out to purchase the team for $430 million in 2004, and the $131 million owed his wife Jamie as part of a divorce settlement. The purchase must now be submitted to the bankruptcy court by April 6th, and the sale completed by April 30th.

The Brewers acquire CF Nyjer Morgan from Washington in return for minor league IF Cutter Dykstra. The Brewers are concerned that starting CF Carlos Gomez may not hit enough to justify his job, while the Nationals have Rick Ankiel to patrol centerfield.

The Division Élite season begins. Last year’s finalists, the Savigny Lions and Rouen Huskies, split two games on opening day. Clayton Cooper fans seven in winning the opener for Savigny, while Keino Perez takes game two for Rouen.

A thief breaks into the spring training home rented by Tampa Bay players Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac in Port Charlotte, FL and makes off with $50,000 worth of jewelry and electronics. Among the items pilfered is an AK-47 automatic rifle belonging to Longoria.

Cubs P Carlos Silva fails in his bid to become the team’s fifth starter, but says he will refuse an assignment to the minor leagues and makes disparaging remarks about pitching coach Mark Riggins. This pushes the Cubs to release him and swallow $8.5 million for the two years remaining on his contract, while the Seattle Mariners, who traded Silva to the Cubs before the 2010 season, are on the hook for another $5.5 million. Silva has a 10.90 ERA in spring training after a terrible second half last year, and made headlines earlier for getting into a fight in the dugout with 3B Aramis Ramirez.

Minneapolis’ new Target Field is inaugurated with a college game between the University of Minnesota and Louisiana Tech, in front of 37,757 spectators, a game which also serves as an open house for fans and a dry run for the new facility. The ballpark’s main tenants, the Minnesota Twins will play two exhibition games against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 2-3, while the official home opener is set for April 12th.

The 2010 Korea Baseball Organization season begins with a new 12-second limit between pitches and a widened strike zone to speed up games. Min-woo Kim of the Nexen Heroes hits the first home run of the year, to help his club beat the Lotte Giants. The defending champion KIA Tigers fall, 8 – 3, to the Doosan Bears, as Doosan’s Hyun-soo Kim goes 4 for 4.

The Rangers obtain utility infielder Andres Blanco from the Cubs for future considerations.

Veteran 1B Doug Mientkiewicz leaves the Dodgers’ training camp after being told he will not make the opening day roster. He is offered a position as a minor league instructor, but declines, preferring to seek another opportunity to play somewhere in the major leagues.

2009 – Eri Yoshida becomes the first female player in a Japanese professional league. A teenaged knuckleball pitcher, she walks one batter and strikes out another in a relief stint for Kobe 9 Cruise of the new Kansai Independent League.

2006 – Two days after minor league umpires said they intend to strike, management’s lawyer denies that unfair labor practices have been committed.

Jose Canseco is given his release by the Montreal Expos after being told he would not be an everyday player. Canseco, who needs 38 home runs to reach 500, batted .258 and hit 16 homers for the Chicago White Sox last season while appearing in 76 games, but he will not play in the major leagues again.

The Chicago Cubs send reliever Julian Tavarez and three minor league prospects to the Florida Marlins for reliever Antonio Alfonseca and starter Matt Clement. One of the prospects, Dontrelle Willis, is rated among the Cubs’ top 20 prospects. Alfonseca, nicknamed “El Pulpo” (octopus) because he was born with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, will replace the injured Tom Gordon.

2000 – The Toronto Blue Jays sign former American League Rookie of the Year Marty Cordova to a contract.

1995 – The National Labor Relations Board files for an injunction to restore previous work rules to the game, as part of the settlement of the 1994 strike.

1994 – The Baltimore Orioles trade first baseman David Segui to the New York Mets in exchange for pitcher Tom Wegmann and shortstop Kevin Baez.

1993 – The Chicago Cubs put second baseman Ryne Sandberg (broken hand) and shortstop Shawon Dunston (lower back) on the disabled list. The two will miss Opening Day for the first time in nine years together.

The San Diego Padres acquire third baseman Gary Sheffield and a minor leaguer from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for pitcher Ricky Bones, shortstop Jose Valentin and outfielder Matt Mieske. Sheffield will lead the National League in batting average this year, while making a strong run at the Triple Crown.

A lawsuit is filed against Mets pitcher David Cone by three women who charge him with exposing himself to them while in the bullpen at Shea Stadium.

1987 – The New York Mets make one of the best trades in franchise history when they acquire pitcher David Cone from the Kansas City Royals for catcher Ed Hearn and two pitching prospects. Cone will blossom as one of the National League’s better starting pitchers, posting a 20-3 record for the Mets in 1988, while Hearn’s promising career will be ended by injuries.

1986 – Major League Baseball’s Rules Committee votes to change the designated hitter rule for the World Series, allowing a DH to be used in all games played in the American League club’s home park, but not in the National League’s. Since 1976, the DH had been used in all games in even years.

The Houston Astros release J.R. Richard, ending his major league career. The hard-throwing Richard had been the Astros’ top pitcher before suffering a stroke during the 1980 season, from which he never came back.

The Philadelphia Phillies trade outfielders Gary Matthews and Bob Dernier and pitcher Porfi Altamirano to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher Bill Campbell and catcher Mike Diaz. Matthews was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player last season, while Campbell led the National League with 82 pitching appearances. Dernier will win a Gold Glove for Chicago and help them reach the playoffs. His 45 stolen bases will be the most by a Cubs player since 1907.

1982 – The Korea Baseball Organization opens its first regular season. Man-soo Lee hits the first home run in league annals but his Samsung Lions lose to the MBC Dragons in the 10th inning on a Jong-do Lee grand slam.

1978 – Oakland Athletics owner Charley Finley cancels the deal that would have sent the team to Denver, Colorado, under the sponsorship of oil magnate Marvin Davis. Objecting to some of the details, Finley decides to call off negotiations.

1961 – In a spring training game, Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson suffers a broken jaw when hit by a fragment of Dodgers Duke Snider’s broken bat. Jackson will be sidelined four weeks.

1960 – Pittsburgh’s defensive wizards Roberto Clemente and Bill Mazeroski, future Hall of Famers both, strut their stuff in a spring scrimmage with Milwaukee. Red Thisted of the Milwaukee Sentinel reports: “Mazeroski, a slim-jim in comparison with the weight he was carrying around a year ago, made Danny Murtaugh look good in the 2nd inning when he skipped far out on the right field grass for a back-handed stab of Eddie Haas’ hopper and got his man… Roberto Clemente robbed Bill Bruton of a triple with a startling grab in right center in the 4th.”